PCB breaks silence on ’no handshake’ controversy, lodges protest against India

Hindustan Times - Pakistan filed an official complaint after India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, refused post-match handshakes. PCB called this against the spirit of sports.

Pakistan's team manager, Naveed Akram Cheema, filed an official complaint with the match referee, Andy Pycroft, after Team India refused to shake hands with the opposition following their commanding seven-wicket win in the Group A match of the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. Heading into the contest, the build-up was far from ideal. Boycott calls reigned supreme, and fans back in India weren't pleased with the game going on in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a ghastly attack in Kashmir, and this led to India launching Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Now, Hindustan Times can confirm that the Pakistan management has officially lodged a complaint against the Indian team's actions, saying they were against "the spirit of sports." An official statement shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board over WhatsApp confirmed that match referee Pycroft informed Salman Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav at the toss, but no directive was issued for the post-match formalities.

"The Pakistani cricket team manager Naveed Akram Cheema has officially lodged a protest against the Indian cricket team, calling the behaviour against the spirit of sports," stated the official statement.